Hillcrest: Walkable, liveable community replaced rundown business district

()

Hillcrest sign on University and 5th

Hillcrest sign on University and 5th (())

Martina Schimitschek

History: William Whitson first developed this centrally located neighborhood in 1907. By the 1930s, it was bustling with a thriving business district along University Avenue. Hillcrest later fell on hard times, and by the late 1960s nearly half the population was over 75 and living in rundown housing. It was then that the gay and lesbian community found its home here and revitalized the tired neighborhood. Now the bohemian neighborhood — with its funky shops, trendy cafes and array of international restaurants — is the heart of San Diego’s LGBT community and a gathering spot for the urbane.

How it got its name: The name was first used when Whitson’s Hillcrest Co. acquired the land.

Landmarks: Hillcrest’s neon sign at University and Fifth avenues was originally erected in 1940 and replicated with an LED sign in 2011. (The original is now in storage.) Farther east on University, a large rainbow flag on a 65-foot flagpole represents the community’s tolerance and acceptance. It’s near the San Diego LGBT Community Center, the second-oldest and one of the largest in the nation. Hillcrest is also a hub for medicine with two major hospitals, Mercy Hospital and the University of California San Diego Medical Center.

Data distinction: Nearly 83 percent of the male population is single and has never been married.

Things to do: Read the quotes celebrating the joys of walking by such luminaries as Eleanor Roosevelt, Martin Luther King Jr. and Dr. Seuss on the Vermont Street pedestrian bridge. The annual Pride Parade and Festival, a three-day extravaganza, draws thousands to the streets of Hillcrest.

San Diego's community almanac presented by the San Diego Union-Tribune

San Diego's community almanac presented by the San Diego Union-Tribune